U.S. patent application number 14/309515 was filed with the patent office on 2015-08-20 for call center customer service kiosk.
The applicant listed for this patent is Avaya Inc.. Invention is credited to Anjur Sundaresan Krishnakumar, Joann Ordille, Shalini Yajnik.
Application Number | 20150237207 14/309515 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 53798356 |
Filed Date | 2015-08-20 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150237207 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Ordille; Joann ; et
al. |
August 20, 2015 |
CALL CENTER CUSTOMER SERVICE KIOSK
Abstract
A customer uses an in store kiosk to establish a communication
session, such as a video communication session between the kiosk
and an agent in a contact center. The customer can transfer the
communication session to the customer's personal mobile
communication device by selecting to transfer the communication
session at the kiosk. A presence of the customer's personal mobile
communication device is detected. The presence of the customer's
personal mobile communication device can be detected by the use of
various technologies, such as Near Field Communications or scanning
a code on the kiosk from the mobile communication device. In
response to detecting the presence of the mobile communication
device the communication session is transferred from the kiosk to
the mobile communication device using a communication application
in the mobile communication device.
Inventors: |
Ordille; Joann; (Lebanon,
NJ) ; Krishnakumar; Anjur Sundaresan; (Princeton,
NJ) ; Yajnik; Shalini; (Berkeley Heights,
NJ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Avaya Inc. |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
53798356 |
Appl. No.: |
14/309515 |
Filed: |
June 19, 2014 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
61941924 |
Feb 19, 2014 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
379/204.01 ;
379/211.02 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 4/16 20130101; H04M
3/5183 20130101; H04L 63/0846 20130101; H04M 3/58 20130101; G06F
21/45 20130101; G06F 21/44 20130101; H04W 4/80 20180201; H04L 63/08
20130101; H04M 3/54 20130101; H04M 3/4234 20130101; H04M 1/72525
20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04M 3/51 20060101
H04M003/51; H04M 3/54 20060101 H04M003/54; H04M 1/725 20060101
H04M001/725; H04M 3/58 20060101 H04M003/58; H04W 4/16 20060101
H04W004/16; H04W 4/00 20060101 H04W004/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: receiving an indication that a user of a
kiosk wants to transfer a communication session, between an agent
terminal of a contact center and the kiosk, from the kiosk to a
mobile communication device, wherein the communication session is a
voice or video communication session; determining that the mobile
communication device is in proximity of the kiosk; and in response
to determining that the mobile communication device is within the
predetermined proximity of the kiosk, transferring the
communication session from the kiosk to the mobile communication
device.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining if the
mobile communication device needs to download a communication
application; and in response to determining that the mobile
communication device needs to download the communication
application, downloading the communication application on the
mobile communication device.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the communication application
sends a telephone number of the mobile communication device to the
contact center for transferring the communication session from the
kiosk to the mobile communication device.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device
is determined to be within the predetermined proximity of the kiosk
by using at least one of Near Field Communication (NFC), Bluetooth,
and proximity based radio communications.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session is
between a customer and an agent of the contact center, and when the
communication session is transferred from the kiosk to the mobile
communication device, a single communication record of the
communication session is maintained in the contact center.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying that a
user of the mobile communication device is a previous customer of
the contact center; and encrypting the transferred communication
session using one or more encryption keys from a previous contact
with the customer.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication session between
the contact center and the kiosk includes downloading a document to
the kiosk and further comprising: downloading the document for
display on the mobile communication device in response to
transferring the communication session from the kiosk to the mobile
communication device.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the mobile
device is within the predetermined proximity of the kiosk is based
on receiving an indication that the customer has scanned a code on
the kiosk and wherein the code on the kiosk is at least one of: a
Quick Response Code (QRCode), a bar code, a Radio Frequency
Identifier (RFID), a scanned code, and a serial number.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is associated with a
specific type of product or service and further comprising: in
response to the code being associated with the specific type
product or service, providing a map that identifies a location in a
store associated with the kiosk, wherein the map identifies a
location in the store where the customer can find the specific type
of product or service.
10. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication session
between the contact center and the kiosk is the video communication
session with an agent of the contact center, wherein the code is
provided based on an input from the agent of the contact center,
and wherein the code is displayed as part of the video
communication session between the contact center and the kiosk.
11. The method of claim 8, wherein the code is associated with a
specific type of product or service and in response to the code
being associated with the specific type product or service,
conferencing in an employee located in a store associated with the
kiosk to assist the customer with the specific type of product or
service.
12. The method of claim 1, wherein a user of the mobile
communication device can select a list of options associated with
transferring the communication session from the kiosk to the mobile
communication device comprising: providing a map associated with a
product or service; conferencing an employee located in a store
associated with the kiosk; and transferring the video communication
session on the kiosk to an audio only communication session on the
mobile communication device.
13. A system comprising: a communication manager configured to
transfer a communication session, between an agent terminal of a
contact center and a kiosk, from the kiosk to a mobile
communication device in response to determining that the mobile
communication device is within a proximity of the kiosk, wherein
the communication session is a voice or video communication
session; the kiosk configured to receive an indication that a
customer wants to transfer the communication session from the kiosk
to a mobile communication device; and a presence detection module
configured to determine that the mobile communication device is in
proximity of the kiosk.
14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a kiosk module
configured to determine if the mobile communication device needs to
download a communication application and download the communication
application on the mobile communication device in response to
determining that the mobile communication device needs to download
the communication application.
15. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication session
between the contact center and the kiosk includes downloading a
document to the kiosk and wherein the communication manager is
further configured to download the document for display on the
mobile communication device in response to transferring the
communication session from the kiosk to the mobile communication
device.
16. The system of claim 13, wherein determining that the mobile
device is within the predetermined proximity of the kiosk is based
on receiving an indication that the customer has scanned a code on
the kiosk and wherein the code on the kiosk is at least one of: a
Quick Response Code (QRCode), a bar code, a Radio Frequency
Identifier (RFID), and a serial number.
17. The system of claim 16, wherein the code is associated with a
specific type of product or service and wherein the kiosk module is
further configured to provide a map that identifies a location in a
store associated with the kiosk in response to the code being
associated with the specific type product or service and wherein
the map identifies a location in the store where the customer can
find the specific type of product or service.
18. The system of claim 16, wherein the communication session
between the contact center and the kiosk is the video communication
session with an agent of the contact center, wherein the code is
provided based on an input from the agent of the contact center,
and wherein the code is displayed as part of the video
communication session between the contact center and the kiosk.
19. The system of claim 16, wherein the code is associated with a
specific type of product or service and in response to the code
being associated with the specific type product or service,
conferencing in an employee located in a store associated with the
kiosk to assist the customer with the specific type of product or
service.
20. A non-transient computer readable medium having stored thereon
instructions that cause a processor to execute a method, the method
comprising: instructions to receive an indication at a kiosk that a
user of the kiosk wants to transfer a communication session,
between an agent terminal of a contact center and the kiosk, from
the kiosk to a mobile communication device, wherein the
communication session is a voice or video communication session;
instructions to determine that the mobile communication device is
in proximity of the kiosk; and in response to determining that the
mobile communication device is within the predetermined proximity
of the kiosk, instructions to transfer the communication session
from the kiosk to the mobile communication device.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/941,924, filed
Feb. 19, 2014, entitled "CUSTOMER SERVICE KIOSK FOR BYOD" the
entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The systems and methods disclosed herein relate to contact
centers and in particular to customer service contact centers.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Kiosks allow companies to provide personal in-store service
to customers through contact with remote agents in a contact
center. These types of kiosks can improve customer service, reduce
the demand on local staff, and can provide expertise that is not
present locally. However, a problem with kiosks is that a customer
is tied to the location of the kiosk. This can result in situations
where high quality of service cannot always be obtained.
[0004] For example, being tethered to the kiosk prevents a customer
from conversing with a contact center agent while going to another
location in a store that may have a specific product or service in
which the customer is interested. Another problem is that long
lines can form at the kiosk. These long lines can result in poor
customer satisfaction if a user has to wait for a long period of
time to use the kiosk. Another problem is that the kiosk may not
afford the privacy necessary to comfortably complete the
interaction with the contact center agent. These and other
deficiencies still limit the usefulness of a kiosk.
SUMMARY
[0005] Systems and methods are provided to solve these and other
problems and disadvantages of the prior art. A customer uses a
kiosk, such as an in-store kiosk, to establish a communication
session, such as a video communication session between the kiosk
and an agent in a contact center. The contact center can be
co-located with or remote from the store in which the kiosk is
situated. The customer can transfer the communication session to
the customer's personal mobile communication device by selecting to
transfer the communication session at the kiosk (e.g., by selecting
a transfer option presented to the customer via a Graphical User
interface (GUI) of the kiosk). A presence of the customer's
personal mobile communication device is detected at or in proximity
with the kiosk. The presence of the customer's personal mobile
communication device can be detected by the use of various
technologies, such as Near Field Communications (NFC),
Bluetooth.RTM., or scanning a code on the kiosk with a camera or
similar image-based input of the mobile communication device. In
response to detecting the presence of the mobile communication
device by scanning a Quick Response (QR) code, session information
and the URL of a server are used to download code on the mobile
device to transfer the communication session. The communication
session is then transferred from the kiosk to the mobile
communication device using the communication application. This
allows the customer to continue the communication session while
walking through the store.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first illustrative system for
providing contact center kiosk services.
[0007] FIG. 2 is diagram of an exemplary kiosk display.
[0008] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for providing contact
center kiosk services.
[0009] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a process for additional contact
center kiosk services.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a first illustrative system 100
for providing contact center kiosk services. The first illustrative
system 100 comprises a mobile communication device 101, a kiosk
102, an employee mobile communication device 107, a network 110, a
contact center 120, agent terminals 130A-130N and agents
131A-131N.
[0011] The mobile communication device 101 can be or may include
any mobile device that can communicate on the network 110, such as
a Personal Computer (PC), a mobile telephone, a mobile video
device, a cellular telephone, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a
tablet device, a notebook device, a smart phone, a smart watch, and
the like. The mobile communication device 101 can communicate with
the network using a variety of protocols. The mobile communication
device 101 may be a customer's personal mobile communication device
101, a mobile communication device 101 of another person, a mobile
communication device 101 that is owned by a company (e.g., a
company that owns a store where the kiosk 102 is located), and the
like.
[0012] The employee mobile communication device 107 can be or may
include any mobile communication device that can communicate on the
network 110. For example, the employee mobile communication device
107 may be the same or similar to the mobile communication device
101.
[0013] The kiosk 102 can be or may include any device that can
provide interactive communication, such as an interactive computer
terminal, a personal computer, an automated teller, a computing
system, and/or the like. The kiosk 102 can provide a variety of
services, such as in-store services, customer services, direction
services, automated teller services, product services, and/or the
like. The kiosk 102 further comprises a display 103, a kiosk module
104, a communication application 105, and a presence detection
module 106.
[0014] The display 103 can be or may include any type of display,
such as a touch screen, a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display, a
plasma display, a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT), and/or the like. The
display 103 can be used to provide outputs (e.g., visual outputs)
in addition to providing a location for user input (e.g., via a
touch-sensitive display). The display 103 can alternatively or
additionally be used in conjunction with a separate input device,
such as a mouse or keyboard.
[0015] The kiosk module 104 can be or may include any
hardware/software that manages operations of the kiosk 102.
Depending on implementation, the kiosk module 104 may be only in
the kiosk 102, may be distributed between the kiosk 102 and the
contact center 120, or may be solely in the contact center 120.
[0016] The communication application 105 can be any software (e.g.,
instructions stored in a non-transitory computer-readable memory)
that can be downloaded onto the mobile communication device 101 to
allow for transferring a communication session from the kiosk to
the mobile communication device 101. In FIG. 1, the communication
application 105 is shown as being stored in the kiosk 102. However,
in other embodiments, the communication application 105 may be
stored in and downloaded from the contact center 120 or from some
other remote server connected to the network 110.
[0017] The presence detection module 106 can be or may include any
hardware/software that can determine that the mobile device 101 is
within a predefined proximity of the kiosk. For example, the
presence detection module 106 can be a Radio Frequency
Identification (RFID) detector, a Near Field Communication (NFC)
detector, a Bluetooth.RTM. detector, a software module to handling
Quick Response (QR) codes that are scanned by the mobile
communication device 101, a software module for managing other
types of scanned codes, identifiers, Radio Frequency Identification
(RFID) tags, or serial numbers, and/or the like. The presence
detection module 106, in one embodiment is in the contact center
102 or distributed between the contact center 120 and the kiosk
102. For example, the presence detection module 106 may be on a
back-end server that supports a URL that is indicated in a QR code.
In FIG. 1, the presence detection module 106 is shown as part of
the contact center 106. However, the presence detection module 106
may be on a back-end server that is separate from the contact
center 120.
[0018] The network 110 can be or may include any collection of
communication equipment that can send and receive electronic
information, such as the Internet, a Wide Area Network (WAN), a
Local Area Network (LAN), a Voice over IP Network (VoIP), the
Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), a packet switched
network, a circuit switched network, a cellular network, a WiFi
network, an 802.11 network, a combination of these, and the like.
The network 110 can use a variety of protocols, such as Ethernet,
Internet Protocol (IP), Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), H.323,
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN), 802.11, and the
like.
[0019] The contact center 120 can be or may include any
hardware/software that can manage communications. The contact
center 120 can support a variety of communication sessions between
agents 131A-N and customers/users, such as an audio communication
session, a video communication session, a multimedia communication
session, a text communication session, an Instant Messaging
communication session, an email communication session, and/or the
like. The contact center 120 further comprises a communication
manager 121 and the kiosk module 104.
[0020] The communication manager 121 can be or may include any
hardware/software that can manage communication sessions, such as a
session manager, a Private Branch Exchange (PBX), a central office
switch, a router, a video switch, an Instant Messaging Server, an
email server, a combination of these, and the like. The
communication manager 121, in some embodiments, may be distributed
between the contact center 120 and the kiosk 102. The communication
manager 121 may also be distributed between public and private
networks. In addition, all non-kiosk software can exist in the
cloud.
[0021] The agent terminals 130A-130N can be any type of
communication device that may be used by the contact center agents
131A-131N, such as a personal computer, a notebook device, a
terminal, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a smart phone, a
Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and/or the like. In this example,
the contact center 120 may have any number of agent terminals 130.
Likewise, the contact center 120 may have any number of agents
131A-131N. The contact center agents 131A-131N can use the agent
terminals 130A-130N as part of a communication session between the
kiosk 102, the mobile communication device 101, and the contact
center 120.
[0022] A communication session is established, by way of example,
between the kiosk 102 and the agent 131A (via agent terminal 130A)
by the communication manger 121. The communication session can be
any type of communication session, such as an audio communication
session, a video communication session, a multimedia communication
session, an Instant Messaging communication session, a text
communication session, and/or the like. For example, a
customer/user at the kiosk 102 may select a "talk to agent button"
(e.g., as shown in FIG. 2, element 203) on the kiosk 102 to
establish a video communication session with the contact center
agent 131A. The customer/user can be any one who uses the kiosk 102
to contact the contact center 120.
[0023] The communication manager 121, in some embodiments,
determines that the communication session exists between the
contact center 120 and the kiosk 102 based on a kiosk identifier.
The kiosk identifier can be any identifier that uniquely identifies
(e.g., globally or within the environment of the contact center
120) the kiosk 102, such as a telephone number, a globally unique
identifier, an IP address, a network address, an Ethernet address,
a Media Access Control (MAC) address, and/or the like. The kiosk
identifier may be identified or created by the communication
manager 121 as part of establishing the communication session
between the kiosk 102 and agent 131A. Alternatively, the kiosk
identifier may be determined when the kiosk identifier is sent as
part of a transfer request or looked up in a database based on a
caller identifier.
[0024] A customer/user at the kiosk 102 indicates that the
customer/user wants to transfer the communication session from the
kiosk 102 to a mobile communication device 101. Of course, other
situations may involve an on-site customer service representative
indicating that the communication session is to be transferred from
the kiosk 102 to a mobile device 101 of the customer and/or a
mobile device 107 of the on-site local employee 107. For example,
the customer/user can select a "transfer to your device" button
(e.g., as shown in FIG. 2, element 205) to transfer the
communication session with the contact center agent 131A from the
kiosk 102 the customer's personal mobile communication device
101.
[0025] The kiosk module 104, in response to receiving the request
to transfer, detects the presence of the mobile communication
device 101 at or in proximity with the kiosk 102. The kiosk module
104 can detect the presence of the mobile communication device 101
in various ways. The kiosk module 104 can detect the presence of
the mobile communication device 101 using Near Field Communication
(NFC), Bluetooth.RTM., Radio proximity based communications using
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags, and/or the like. For
example, the customer, upon selecting to transfer the communication
session from the kiosk 102 to the mobile communication device 101,
may be displayed a message to place their NFC enabled mobile
communication device 101 next to a NFC detector (presence detection
module 106) to detect the presence of the mobile communication
device 101 in proximity to the kiosk 102.
[0026] The use of Bluetooth.RTM. and NFC are capable of two way
detection. The presence detection module 106 at the kiosk 102
detects the presence of the mobile communication device 101. The
mobile communication device 101 is also aware of the presence of
the Kiosk 102. In the case of technologies such as RFID, the mobile
communication device 101 will have to have the communication
application 105 that communicates with the presence detection
module 106 in the kiosk 102.
[0027] In another embodiment, the presence detection module 106 can
detect the presence of the mobile communication device 101 when the
customer scans a code displayed in the display 103 of the kiosk
102. In this embodiment, the presence detection module 106 would be
on a back-end server that is pointed to by a URL in the QR code
(e.g., the presence detection module 106 in the contact center).
The code can be Quick Response code (QR code), a bar code, a serial
number, a RFID tag, a combination of these, and the like. For
example, when the customer selects to transfer the communication
session from the kiosk 102 to the mobile communication device 101,
a QR code is displayed to the customer on the kiosk 102. The
customer then scans the QR code via a scanner/camera in the mobile
communication device 101.
[0028] Scanning the QR code associated with the kiosk 102 allows
the presence detection module 106 in the contact center 120 to
communicate with the with the mobile communication device 101.
Scanning the QR code registers the mobile communication device 101
with presence detection module 106. This can be accomplished in
various ways, such as based on a Universal Resource Locator (URL)
designated by the QR code. When the QR code is scanned, the mobile
device's browser goes to the URL indicated by the QR code. The URL
starts a communication with the presence module 106 in the contact
center 120. Code from the URL is executed in the mobile
communication device's browser. If the communication application
105 is not present, the mobile communication application 105 is
downloaded and installed on the mobile communication device 101.
The communication application 105 interacts with the kiosk module
104 in the contact center 120 to get the session information in
order to transfer the communication session.
[0029] In response to detecting the presence of the mobile
communication device 101, the kiosk module 104 (or some other
device) determines if the communication application 105 needs to be
downloaded onto the mobile communication device 101 (if not
downloaded previously). Downloading the download communication
application 105 can be accomplished in various ways, such as via a
local WiFi network, via a Bluetooth connection, via NFC, via the
Internet, via a cellular network, via the Public Switched Telephone
Network (PSTN), and/or the like. Once the communication application
105 has been downloaded to the mobile communication device 101, the
communication session is transferred from the kiosk 102 to the
mobile communication device 101. Since the mobile communication
device 101 has been registered with the kiosk module 104, the
communication manager 121 can now transfer the communication
session from the kiosk 102 to the mobile communication device 101
using the communication application 105 on the mobile communication
device 101. For example, the call can be transferred via a local
WiFi in a store to the mobile communication device 101. The
transfer can be implemented in various ways, such as using Session
Initiation Protocol (SIP) to download the application to the
communication device. In this embodiment, since the communication
is a local communication on a local WiFi network (not a cellular
call), the telephone number of the mobile communication device does
not have to be known. Similarly, using the cellular data network,
instead of the WiFi does not require the telephone number to be
known.
[0030] In another embodiment, the communication application 105 can
send a telephone number of the mobile communication device 101 to
the kiosk module 104. For example, the communication application
105 may query the customer for the telephone number of the mobile
communication device 101, may automatically get the telephone
number of the mobile communication device 101 (e.g., by the
communication application 105 getting the mobile communication
device 101 telephone number), may get the telephone number of the
mobile communication device 101 based on the customer's approval,
and the like. Once the telephone number of the mobile communication
device 101 has been received by the kiosk module 104, the
communication manager 121 can transfer the communication session to
the communication device via a cellular network (e.g., a cellular
network via the PSTN).
[0031] Since the mobile communication device 101 has been
registered with the kiosk module 104, when the communication
session is transferred to the mobile communication device 101, a
single communication record is maintained in the contact center 120
for the entire communication session (including the transfer). This
is a substantial improvement over existing systems that create two
session records (one session record for the communication session
between the contact center 120 and the kiosk 102 and a second
session record for the call between the call center 120 and the
communication device 102).
[0032] In one embodiment, once the communication session between
the contact center 120 and the mobile communication device 101 has
ended, the communication application 105 that was downloaded to the
mobile communication device 101 is deleted. Before deletion, the
customer may be asked if he/she would like to share contact
information with the contact center 120.
[0033] In one embodiment, instead of transferring the communication
session to a mobile communication device 101 of the customer, the
communication session is transferred to the mobile device 107 of a
local employee. This way the local employee can assist the customer
by walking around the store with the customer while conversing with
the agent 131A in the contact center 120.
[0034] FIG. 2 is diagram of an illustrative kiosk display 103. The
illustrative kiosk display 103 describes various options that may
be displayed to a customer. The kiosk display 103 comprises a
communication session window 201, a topic menu 202, a talk to agent
button 203, an end call button 204, a transfer to your device
button 205, codes 220A-220C, a conference local employee check box
230, a provide map check box 231, a transfer to audio only check
box 232, and an instruction window 240. The codes 220A-220C can be
a QR code, a bar code, an identification number, a serial number,
an RFID tag, and the like. The kiosk display 103 will typically be
a touch screen that allows the customer to select the topic menu
202, the buttons 203-204, and the check boxes 230-232.
[0035] The customer, at the kiosk 102, initiates a video
communication session with the contact center 120 by selecting the
talk to agent button 203. The customer is connected with the
contact center agent 131A as depicted in the communication session
window 201. During the video communication session with the contact
center agent 131A, the customer decides to transfer the video
communication session with the contact center agent 131A.
[0036] In one embodiment, the contact center agent 131A determines
that it may make sense to transfer the call to the customer's
mobile communication device 101. For example, the agent may decide
that it would be best to have the customer walk to a specific area
in a store to further discuss a specific product. Based on this
input from the agent, the code 220C is displayed in the
communication session window 201 (sent as part of the video
stream). In this example, the code 220A is QR code. The customer
can then scan the code 220C to download the communication
application 105 and transfer the video communication session from
the kiosk 102 to the mobile communication device 101. The customer
then continues the video communication session with the agent 131A
on the mobile communication device 101. Alternatively, the QR code
could be sent separate from the video stream.
[0037] In another embodiment, the customer selects the transfer to
your device button 205. In response to the selection of the
transfer to your device button 205, the kiosk module 104 displays
in step 210A the code 220A. The customer then scans the code 220A
to download the communication application 105 (if necessary) and
transfer the video communication session from the kiosk 102 to the
mobile communication device 101.
[0038] In another embodiment, based on the selection of a specific
topic from the topic menu 202, when the customer selects the
transfer to your device button 205, both the codes 220A and 220B
are displayed in steps 210A and 210B. If the customer wants to
conference in a local expert on the selected topic, the customer
can scan the code 220B associated with the selected topic to
download the communication application 105 (if necessary); the
video communication session is then transferred from the kiosk to
the mobile communication device 101 with the local expert
conferenced into video communication session. The local expert may
be conference in using video/audio or audio only (or even text
only).
[0039] In another embodiment, based on the selection of the
transfer to your device button 205, the instruction window 240 is
displayed to the customer. The instruction window 240 instructs the
customer to place their mobile communication device 101 on the
kiosk device reader (the presence detection module 106). The
customer places their mobile communication device 101 on the kiosk
device reader. The kiosk code reader detects the presence of the
mobile communication device 101 in proximity to the kiosk 102,
using NFC (or another protocol). In response to detecting the
presence of the mobile communication device 101, the communication
application 105 is downloaded onto the mobile communication device
101 (if necessary) and the video communication session is
transferred from the kiosk 102 to the mobile communication device
101.
[0040] In another embodiment, the customer can select various
options that are available as part of transferring the
communication session. The customer can select options using the
topic menu 202, the conference local employee check box 230, the
provide map check box 231, and the transfer to audio only check box
232. For example, the customer could select the plumbing topic, the
conference local employee check box 230, and the transfer to audio
only check box 232 to transfer the video communication session to
an audio communication session where a local subject expert on
plumbing is conferenced into the audio call. In one embodiment, a
single QR code is displayed that provides all the selected options
when scanned. Alternatively, the customer could select the options
and then be provided the instructions window 240 to transfer the
call with the customer selected options by placing their device on
the kiosk device reader.
[0041] In one embodiment, the options are provided via a pop-up
window based on the selection of the transfer to your device button
205. In another embedment, the options can be presented after the
communication session has been transferred. Other options could be
to transfer a video communication session to an Instant Messaging
communication session, conferencing in the contact center agent's
supervisor, and/or the like.
[0042] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a process for providing contact
center services. Illustratively, the mobile communication device
101, the kiosk 102, the display 103, the kiosk module 104, the
communication application 105, the presence detection module 106,
the employee mobile communication device 107, the contact center
120, the communication manager 121, and the agent terminals
130A-130N are stored-program-controlled entities, such as a
computer or processor, which performs the method of FIGS. 3-4 and
the processes described herein by executing program instructions
stored in a tangible computer readable storage medium, such as a
memory or disk. Although the methods described in FIGS. 3-4 are
shown in a specific order, one of skill in the art would recognize
that the steps in FIGS. 3-4 may be implemented in different orders
and/or be implemented in a multi-threaded environment. Moreover,
various steps may be omitted or added based on implementation.
[0043] The process starts in step 300. The process waits in step
304 for a request for a communication session. If a request is not
received in step 304, the process repeats step 304. Otherwise, if a
request for a communication session is received in step 304, the
process establishes a communication session between a contact
center and a kiosk based on a kiosk identifier in step 306. In
particular, a communication session may be established between a
kiosk and one or more agent terminals 130A-130N, depending upon
whether the communication session is a two-person session or a
conference.
[0044] The process determines in step 308 if an indication is
received that the customer/user wants to transfer the communication
session from the kiosk to the mobile communication device. If an
indication has not been received in step 308, the process goes to
step 310. The process determines in step 310 if the communication
session is complete. If the communication session is complete in
step 310, the process ends in step 322. Otherwise, if the
communication session is not complete in step 310, the process goes
back to step 308.
[0045] If the indication to transfer the communication session from
the kiosk to the mobile communication device is received in step
308, the process determines in step 312 if a presence of the mobile
communication device has been detected in proximity to the kiosk.
If a presence of the mobile communication device is not detected in
step 312, the process goes to step 314. The process determines in
step 314 if the communication session is complete. If the
communication session is complete in step 314, the process ends in
step 322. Otherwise, if the communication session is not complete
in step 314, the process goes to step 312.
[0046] If the process detects the presence of the mobile
communication device in proximity to the kiosk in step 312, the
process downloads the communication application (if necessary) to
the mobile communication device in step 316. The process transfers
the communication session from the kiosk to the mobile
communication device in step 318. The process determines in step
320 if the communication session is complete. If the communication
session is not complete in step 320, the process repeats step 320.
Otherwise, if the process is complete in step 320, the process ends
in step 322.
[0047] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a process for additional contact
center services. The process of FIG. 4 is an exemplary embodiment
that goes between steps 318 and 320 of FIG. 3. As part starting
transferring the communication session to the mobile communication
device in step 318, the process determines if the customer is a
previous customer of the contact center in step 400. The process
can determine that the customer is a previous customer of the
contact center based on information entered by the customer at the
kiosk, based on an identifier supplied via an Interactive Voice
Response (IVR) system when calling from the kiosk, via a swiped
card, via a swiped credit card number, and/or the like. If the
customer is not a previous customer of the contact center in step
400, the process goes to step 404. Otherwise, if the customer is a
previous customer in step 400 the process can optionally encrypt
the communication session if a digital certificate is available.
For example, the customer may have exchanged a digital certificate
when previously calling into the contact center. The previously
exchanged digital certificate can be used to encrypt the
transferred communication session from the contact center to the
mobile communication device. The process then goes to step 404.
[0048] If the customer is a new customer, the communication session
can still be encrypted by generating a new digital certificate. The
newly generated digital certificate can be used to encrypt the
communication session. The digital certificate can then be
associated with the customer for future use.
[0049] The process determines in step 404 if a document(s) was
downloaded to the kiosk for viewing by the customer. For example,
if the customer was looking for specifications for a particular
type of appliance, a manual for the appliance can be downloaded to
the kiosk so that the customer can search through the manual. If a
document was not downloaded in step 404, the process goes to step
408. Otherwise, if a document(s) was downloaded to the kiosk in
step 404, the process downloads the document(s) to the mobile
communication device for display to the customer in step 406. The
process then goes to step 408.
[0050] The process determines in step 408 if the scanned code is
associated with a product or service. For example, the customer may
have associated the scanned code with a delivery service for an
appliance that the customer was looking to purchase. If the scanned
code is not associated with a product or service in step 408, the
process goes to step 320.
[0051] Otherwise, if the code is associated with a product or
service in step 408, the process determines if the code also
indicated to conference in a local employee in step 410. If the
code indicated to conference in a local employee in step 410, the
process conferences in the local employee in step 412. The process
may also provide a map to the location of the local employee. For
example, the map could provide directions from the kiosk to a help
desk where the local employee is located. Alternatively, the
process may provide a map to the desired product. The process then
goes to step 320.
[0052] In one embodiment, the local employee may be conferenced in
even if the code is not associated with a product or service. For
example, the customer could select the conference local employee
check box 230 without selecting the topic menu 202 as described in
FIG. 2.
[0053] If the code does not indicate to conference in a local
employee in step 410, the process determines whether to provide a
map in step 414. If a map is to be provided in step 416, the map is
provided to the customer in step 416 and the process goes to step
320. Otherwise, if a map was not to be provided in step 414, other
services may be provided to the customer in step 418. For example,
other services can be provided, such as downloading a service
application to the customer's mobile communication device,
providing locations of other stores, providing location of other
stores that carry an out of stock item, and/or the like. The
process then goes to step 320.
[0054] Of course, various changes and modifications to the
illustrative embodiment described above will be apparent to those
skilled in the art. These changes and modifications can be made
without departing from the spirit and the scope of the system and
method and without diminishing its attendant advantages. The
following claims specify the scope of the invention. Those skilled
in the art will appreciate that the features described above can be
combined in various ways to form multiple variations of the
invention. As a result, the invention is not limited to the
specific embodiments described above, but only by the following
claims and their equivalents.
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